Aubrey Berger poses with her kid goats in the barn of her family's ranch. Berger spent the night with her goat Petunia during freezing temperatures to ensure her safety.
Aubrey Berger knew her goat, Petunia, was getting ready to kid. All signs were there and Petunia was 10 days past her estimated due date. Aubrey had researched the internet and knew Petunia would kid within 24 hours.
It was Dec. 29 and her family had left for Riverton to watch her brother play in the Wyoming Indian Tournament. It was "five or six degrees below zero," Aubrey said.
Aubrey, who is a seventh grade student at Saratoga Middle/High School, said she was getting nervous because she had never helped a goat kid before, and now she was alone.
She spent part of the previous night under the heat lamp with her goat. Eventually she went to the house and went to bed.
After her family left, Aubrey checked the monitor to see how Petunia was doing.
Petunia, had kidded one goat, and was cleaning it.
It's not unusual for a goat to have twins, but Aubrey was surprised when Petunia had triplets.
The mother did okay, but the last kid was struggling. Aubrey could not get the goat to feed.
"I took (the goat) into the house and called Warner [McFarland, the veterinarian]," Aubrey said.
The vet advised Aubrey to give the kid Nutridrench for cattle. "I gave him that and he perked up and took him back [to the barn] and he started eating," Aubrey said.
After the kids were born, the temperature dropped to minus 27 degrees the following night and Aubrey had to take extra precautions.
She added another heat lamp and lowered them, put boards on top of the pen and put blankets around the pen to keep the heat in. She went out and checked on them every two of three hours to ensure then were doing OK.
After two nights, the goats were big enough and healthy enough to go the full night without her checking on them, Aubrey said.
Aubrey plans to sell two of the goats and keep a third to show.
Aubrey said she learned a lot from the experience. "I learned a lot of different signs to see when she was going to kid and not to rely on what people tell me. All goats are different and I know what she is like when she is ready."
She said she learned what to do if one of the kids is unhealthy.
Aubrey's grandmother , Joe Waliser, helped Aubrey after the goats were born.
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